As another week has passed, the work continues. The brickwork is complete on the front and right side of the building. For Bob and half of the Russian crew, most of the last few days have been full of moving the scaffolding from one side of the building to the other. At this writing, the bricks are halfway up the left side and a small amount is complete on the back. The other half of the Russian crew has been non-stop mixing concrete and carrying it in buckets to the brick masons. Please pray for these men, as this is very hard work, much of the time in full sun, with constant irritation of insects and heat.
Every day it seems someone different shows up to help with the work! I am told that when we quit for the day, often another bunch of church members come to work a few more hours. It is like the story of “The Shoemaker and The Elves!” How nice it is to find more work has been completed when we arrive the next day!
Inside the building, ladies have been adding fiberglass insulation to the walls. We have had much help from various church members. We have all the walls filled in about ¾ of the way up…now we will start climbing the ladders!
The Lord must be continuing to provide financially because yesterday a PILE of sheetrock was delivered. Bob was very excited as he and Edick put up the first few pieces of sheetrock. Today (June 26), an electrician who is a church member came by to look at the plans with Bob to help him determine how much wiring, etc. is needed for the building. I continue to be amazed at how God has given Bob the ability to understand much of what the Russian’s communicate to him. He remains limited, of course, BUT somehow they do communicate!
Last Sunday the SS class had 25 children again! We are using the colors of the CEF Wordless Book to teach the gospel. We are having fun! As we arrived at church, Pastor Roma told Bob he would like him to preach the second sermon of the morning. So, with the help of Lena translating, Bob has the opportunity to share from God’s word for a second time this year. He also shared his testimony. It was a blessing.
*The church will meet in the new building starting July 6. We don’t know how often this will happen because of construction, but believe that the Lord will make a way for this group to continue to meet. Please pray with us about this.
*The yearly music festival, which is a big evangelistic outreach in Krasnoyarsk, will take place around the third week of July. Many of the Lesosibirsk Christians are involved with that. Please pray for that as well.
*The SEND team under the leadership of Richard Goshert will arrive July 19. Please pray for their safe arrival.
**If you have been praying for Igor and Natasha’s baby Vova, please continue to pray. We have heard of some improvement, but he continues to need a ventilator and remains hospitalized. Thanks for your prayers, Igor seems encouraged.
Be sure to check out our photos! Until next week, “Da svee danya!”
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Here comes the sun. Oh! And the bugs too!!
Some of you must have prayed for dryer weather because the sun has been shining. With it we have had warmer temperatures, but not hot. There has been a nice breeze most days and so the only down side is… the BUGS. If you were here last year, you know what I mean, but if you were not, I will enlighten you! Lesosibirsk is home to two types of flying, blood sucking insects, they are the mosquito and the gnat. The mosquitos are like small airplanes …they really are! The only good thing about that is that often you notice when one lands on you and can swat it. Now, the gnats are another story, they are small, flying constantly in your face looking for any place bite you. I think that they may be blind though because they are very good at landing in your nose, ears, eyes, or mouth. If one bites you, you itch for a long time. If you are headed to work here, come prepared with plenty of that fragrant body oil called “OFF”. We have found that the Deep Woods Off works best.
The brickwork is moving right along. You may enjoy looking at our photos by clicking on the photo link on the right hand side of this page. It is quite exciting to see the bricks going up, because although there has been a lot of prep work, it takes a trained eye to notice it, but the bricks…well, the whole town can see that progress! Bob and his Russian crew have been steadily building scaffolding for a week now. They are almost to the end. They had to build a first tier and then a second. It was quite a big order.
While the men have been doing that, we have had some ladies from the church helping with the spray foam insulation. Spray it into the cracks, saw off the excess, look for any spots missed, from concrete floor all the way to the top where wall meets ceiling. One lady, Tanya, doesn’t mind heights, I think she is a natural acrobat and I am so glad she can do it! We’ve also had some teenagers helping to move huge piles of wood and put up some regular insulation. It is good to see more of the people of the church getting involved.
On Sunday Pastor Roma asked the congregation to go from the church service to meet at the new church property. Many people did just that and we had a “tea” (sandwiches, cookies, tea), sang a few songs and prayed. It was nice. Im amazed when I observe how even some of the very old ladies do not hesitate to climb up a ladder or steep steps. I think they must develop good balance having to get around in all the snow and ice most of the year.
Two prayer requests: After July 1st the theater where the church has been meeting will “close for renovation”. The Reconciliation Church will officially have no place to meet for worship. Pastor Roma said that we will meet at the new building, but that it could make problems with officials. Won’t you pray that the Lord will make a way for this new building to be completed? We do not know if they will be permitted to return to the theater after renovation is done. It is a good possibility that they will not, so the need for their own building is greater now than ever. We are sure that the Father has a plan even in this, and trust that he will make a way. He is sovereign above everyone and everything.
This morning a local immigration official came to the worksite and said that Bob cannot be working in Russia. We are thankful that Pastor Roma was there to tell him that he has documents from Moscow that give us permission to be working there. Please keep praying for continued favor with the officials. We need to not forget that it is God that is in control and it is by His plan and grace that we are able to do anything and everything in this life.
Praise: We have recently learned that someone has donated enough money to get the electrical wiring and more wood that are necessary to keep things moving along. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Psalm 22:27-28 “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations.”
The brickwork is moving right along. You may enjoy looking at our photos by clicking on the photo link on the right hand side of this page. It is quite exciting to see the bricks going up, because although there has been a lot of prep work, it takes a trained eye to notice it, but the bricks…well, the whole town can see that progress! Bob and his Russian crew have been steadily building scaffolding for a week now. They are almost to the end. They had to build a first tier and then a second. It was quite a big order.
While the men have been doing that, we have had some ladies from the church helping with the spray foam insulation. Spray it into the cracks, saw off the excess, look for any spots missed, from concrete floor all the way to the top where wall meets ceiling. One lady, Tanya, doesn’t mind heights, I think she is a natural acrobat and I am so glad she can do it! We’ve also had some teenagers helping to move huge piles of wood and put up some regular insulation. It is good to see more of the people of the church getting involved.
On Sunday Pastor Roma asked the congregation to go from the church service to meet at the new church property. Many people did just that and we had a “tea” (sandwiches, cookies, tea), sang a few songs and prayed. It was nice. Im amazed when I observe how even some of the very old ladies do not hesitate to climb up a ladder or steep steps. I think they must develop good balance having to get around in all the snow and ice most of the year.
Two prayer requests: After July 1st the theater where the church has been meeting will “close for renovation”. The Reconciliation Church will officially have no place to meet for worship. Pastor Roma said that we will meet at the new building, but that it could make problems with officials. Won’t you pray that the Lord will make a way for this new building to be completed? We do not know if they will be permitted to return to the theater after renovation is done. It is a good possibility that they will not, so the need for their own building is greater now than ever. We are sure that the Father has a plan even in this, and trust that he will make a way. He is sovereign above everyone and everything.
This morning a local immigration official came to the worksite and said that Bob cannot be working in Russia. We are thankful that Pastor Roma was there to tell him that he has documents from Moscow that give us permission to be working there. Please keep praying for continued favor with the officials. We need to not forget that it is God that is in control and it is by His plan and grace that we are able to do anything and everything in this life.
Praise: We have recently learned that someone has donated enough money to get the electrical wiring and more wood that are necessary to keep things moving along. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Psalm 22:27-28 “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations.”
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Rain, Rain, Then...More Rain!
We had forgotten how rainy the month of June is here in Lesosibirsk. Almost every day for the last two weeks we have had some rain. Also, the weather changes very quickly, so, if we start the day with sun, it does not necessarily mean that it is a “sunny day”! One day last week we saw rain, sun, rain, sun, perhaps eight times before we went to sleep. Thankfully this has not prevented the work from continuing because although it is not pleasant, it is possible to continue the concrete work in the rain.
The rim or edge that the bricks will rest on is complete. The bricklayer has arrived as of today (June 12) and hopefully he will start soon. The last two days, Bob and the Russian crew have been working inside preparing metal straps and building scaffolding for the brickwork to begin. Robin has been filling in the gaps between every plank of wood siding with some sort of spray insulation, although tedious, this is not hard work and she is glad for something that she can do! It seems that the gaps are somewhat wide because we had to use green wood last year and as it dries, it shrinks.
Vova has returned to the worksite. It has been very good to work with him again. He looks well and is a great help since he was trained to use some of the tools last year, as we worked. Lena has been with us every day. It is a long day for her, but she keeps a good attitude and we are glad for her assistance. Bob has learned many words which are helpful in working with the men. It is quite impressive to see them communicate with one another. When all else fails they still use “signs and wonders”. Bob tries to explain through signs and they all wonder!
Last week there was a team here from Augusta, Georgia. They did not come here through SEND. They were all from one church. Their translator was a Muldovian brother. We did not see them much because they had planned to paint the men’s rehabilitation center. On Sunday, they did some praise and worship time at Reconciliation Church. Also, their Pastor preached and then helped Pastor Roma serve Communion. Another day, they did some children’s ministry by the riverside and also went to the Orthodox Church, up into the bell tower and sang hymns! At the end of their stay we did meet up with them at a restaurant and heard some great testimonies. It was a blessing to meet them. We hope they will come again!
Robin and Lena are teaching Sunday School for the summer. This week, there were approximately 25 children of all ages. They are attempting to teach the children “Jesus Loves Me” in English too! Bible memory verses, a Bible lesson, games, and songs will provide a good time of fun learning about God for the children of Reconciliation Church. Please pray for effectiveness in teaching and translation, and for the children to respond to what God reveals to their hearts.
There is great anticipation of the arrival of the SEND team under the leadership of Richard Goshert in July. We hope that most, if not all, of the brickwork will be completed and there will be sheetrock work to do inside. It will be wonderful to once again be a part of the fellowship that occurs whenever God's people of any race, tongue, or nation, come together to glorify His Great Name.
We appreciate and depend on your prayers for this work. Note: New Photos will be posted with this writing.
The rim or edge that the bricks will rest on is complete. The bricklayer has arrived as of today (June 12) and hopefully he will start soon. The last two days, Bob and the Russian crew have been working inside preparing metal straps and building scaffolding for the brickwork to begin. Robin has been filling in the gaps between every plank of wood siding with some sort of spray insulation, although tedious, this is not hard work and she is glad for something that she can do! It seems that the gaps are somewhat wide because we had to use green wood last year and as it dries, it shrinks.
Vova has returned to the worksite. It has been very good to work with him again. He looks well and is a great help since he was trained to use some of the tools last year, as we worked. Lena has been with us every day. It is a long day for her, but she keeps a good attitude and we are glad for her assistance. Bob has learned many words which are helpful in working with the men. It is quite impressive to see them communicate with one another. When all else fails they still use “signs and wonders”. Bob tries to explain through signs and they all wonder!
Last week there was a team here from Augusta, Georgia. They did not come here through SEND. They were all from one church. Their translator was a Muldovian brother. We did not see them much because they had planned to paint the men’s rehabilitation center. On Sunday, they did some praise and worship time at Reconciliation Church. Also, their Pastor preached and then helped Pastor Roma serve Communion. Another day, they did some children’s ministry by the riverside and also went to the Orthodox Church, up into the bell tower and sang hymns! At the end of their stay we did meet up with them at a restaurant and heard some great testimonies. It was a blessing to meet them. We hope they will come again!
Robin and Lena are teaching Sunday School for the summer. This week, there were approximately 25 children of all ages. They are attempting to teach the children “Jesus Loves Me” in English too! Bible memory verses, a Bible lesson, games, and songs will provide a good time of fun learning about God for the children of Reconciliation Church. Please pray for effectiveness in teaching and translation, and for the children to respond to what God reveals to their hearts.
There is great anticipation of the arrival of the SEND team under the leadership of Richard Goshert in July. We hope that most, if not all, of the brickwork will be completed and there will be sheetrock work to do inside. It will be wonderful to once again be a part of the fellowship that occurs whenever God's people of any race, tongue, or nation, come together to glorify His Great Name.
We appreciate and depend on your prayers for this work. Note: New Photos will be posted with this writing.
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